Padfoot and Prongs
by Kimmimaru
Summary: A few snap-shots of the lives of Sirius and James. Some vague hints about a romantic relationship but nothing serious. Mild angst. Pairings: JP/LE JP/SB - one-sided.


**AN: A rather long one-shot of some random snap-shots concerning Sirius and James, some contain scenes including other marauder's but mostly it's Padfoot and Prongs. Very vague hints of one-sided romance but it is very mild. Please enjoy and any comments are much appreciated. Thank you for taking an interest.**

**Padfoot and Prongs**

"Oh my god, he's so gorgeous!"

"I wouldn't kick him out of bed."

"I think I'm in love!"

"Sirius Black is so handsome; I wish he would ask me out."

Sirius leaned casually against James, his head resting against his shoulder as he poured over yet another muggle magazine full of pictures of motorbikes. Beside him was a bar of chocolate and he was steadily breaking off the odd chunk and popping it into his mouth, occasionally he would reach around and put a piece in James' mouth. The fire crackled, sending shadows flickering over their faces and the muttering girls were all but ignored by the two friends. James shifted, almost dislodging Sirius from his comfortable position; he huffed irritably, moving so that he was once again comfortable. "Stay still will you?" He muttered.

"I'm not a cushion, Black." James replied, holding out his hand for another piece of chocolate.

"You are. You're _my_ cushion, and cushions don't talk."

James snapped his fingers impatiently. "Chocolate me." He muttered, turning a page in his book.

Sirius handed him a piece and put another in his own mouth. Silence descended once again, a comfortable silence in which both boys pursued their literature at perfect ease; each boy confident in the other's presence, unaware that eyes from all over the common room watched them eagerly. After half an hour one of the girls who had been talking stood up, her friends giggled and made encouraging noises, pushing her gently in the back. She turned and grinned nervously at them before walking over to the two boys, she looked down at Sirius who slowly realised she was there and lowered his magazine. "Can I help you?" He asked, arching an eyebrow curiously.

James put a finger in his book, marking his place and watched the exchange with bright interest. The girl glanced back nervously at her friends before taking a steadying breath. "Will you go out with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?" She asked in a rush. Sirius swallowed his latest mouthful of chocolate before sitting upright.

"Ah, I'm sorry," He said and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm already spoken for."

The girl looked hurt and slightly bewildered. "But who? I've never seen you with anyone!"

Sirius turned back to his magazine and yawned. "I'm always with them." He said absently, turning a page.

The girl, now totally confused, began to move back towards her commiserating friends, she paused and looked back as Sirius snuggled comfortably against James' side again.

"Chocolate me." James demanded and received another piece of chocolate from Sirius, he had a small smile on his lips as Sirius' fingers brushed his own. Sirius' own expression mirrored his friends, the fire continued to crackle in the hearth before them and the only sounds between them were ones of perfect contentment.

**XXX**

"Jamie?"

James groaned, rolling away from the soft whisper that disturbed his sleep.

"James?"

"Go away." He mumbled, waving a hand as if shooing away a fly. "Sleep."

"I would like to but I can't." Sirius paused, cocking his head to the side as he hovered over James with one knee on the bed. Finally, after a moment James sighed and pushed back his duvet. Sirius grinned happily and climbed into the bed beside James, he curled up, snuggling against his best friend and sighed.

"Now go sleep." James said and yawned before relaxing once again, he smiled to himself as he felt Sirius settle down at his side.

"Night Jamie."

"Night Sirius."

**XXX**

"Sirius! Sirius hey!"

Sirius almost jumped out of his skin as the soft, hissing whisper came from his pocket. He looked up nervously, his eyes landing on McGonagall's stern face as she marked papers. Slowly, without moving too much, he rummaged in his pocket and withdrew a mirror. "Jamie? What's wrong?" He could see James' face gazing back at him out of the mirror, a huge grin plastered across his lips.

"Padfoot, I thought you could do with a little help." James said solemnly.

"How? I'm stuck here-" He paused as McGonagall cleared her throat, when he was sure she had gone back to her marking he returned his attention to his friend. "I'm stuck here for at least another hour." He lowered his voice, ensuring it wouldn't reach his professors sharp ears.

"I didn't know you loved McGonagall that much!" James exclaimed, eyes wide. "When's the wedding?"

Sirius snorted. "What do you have in mind, Prongs?"

James' smile became a devious smirk. "Wait and see, Padfoot, wait and see." His image disappeared and was replaced by Sirius' own handsome face, he smiled affectionately and replaced the mirror back in his pocket before settling down and writing a few more lines.

_I shall not use experimental charms upon Mrs. Norris._

He looked up at the clock on the wall and sighed heavily, the hands seemed stuck in their place. It wouldn't have surprised him in the slightest if he had learned that McGonagall had bewitched the clock to remain at the same time forever, she loved putting him detention.

_I shall not use experimental charms upon Mrs. Norris._

It had been worth it. He reminisced with a small smile as he tapped the tip of his quill against his lower lip, ink dripped onto the desk but he didn't notice as he gazed longingly out the window. Definitely worth it. Mrs. Norris had ended up twice her usual size and was rapidly growing a rather impressive set of horns before they had been caught by a very distressed Filch, James had managed to dive beneath his cloak but unfortunately Sirius had been too slow. Not that Sirius particularly begrudged James his quick reflexes, after all he played Quidditch and he was so much smaller and lighter on his feet than he was. Sirius however, was much stronger. He grinned absently as he bent to write another line, taking his time to embellish his handwriting until it was barely even legible, he knew it irritated McGonagall when he did that.

_I shall not use experimental charms on Mrs. Norris._

To be honest the cat deserved it. Sirius hated cats. They were always so nosey and arrogant, spiteful little creatures. He much preferred dogs and owls, at least they didn't look at you like his mother looked at him, in fact most dogs seemed completely happy to see you, no matter who you were. They didn't judge. Cats did. Evil fuckers.

_I shall not use experimental charms on Mrs. Norris._

He wished James would hurry up, he was getting bored. He looked down at the five measly lines he had written and ran a hand through his hair, his eyes drifted once again to the clock and to his horror not even five minutes had passed since the last time he had looked. It was a beautiful sunny evening and he should be out, playing with James but he was stuck in here, probably until the sun set and his chance to laze around in the sun had gone. He pouted, absently doodling in the corner of his page, he looked at his drawing of a little wolf howling at the moon and smiled fondly.

_I shall not use experimental charm-_

Ink splattered the page as the door burst open to reveal a panting, sweating Filch. "Professor…" He gasped, eyes wide and wild looking.

"Mr. Filch! What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall asked in surprise.

"The-the charms class room…on…on fire…come quickly…"

"What?!" McGonagall was on her feet in seconds and she rushed to the door, she paused and eyed Sirius suspiciously. "You may leave now ." She said, still giving him a look that should have scorched him.

"I didn't do it!" Sirius said automatically and thought he saw her lips twitch.

"Hmm. We shall see about that. Now, return to your common room."

Sirius leapt to his feet and hurriedly stuffed his ink and quill back into his bag, after a moment's hesitation he picked up his parchment as well. That doodle was rather good and he wanted to give it to Moony when he saw him next. He left the class room with his bag slung over one shoulder and as he stepped into the corridor he felt something warm and heavy collide with his side, he stumbled, righting himself before he crashed into a plinth with a bust on it. "Sirius!" James wrapped his arms around his friend and giggled, Sirius could smell the distinctive scent of singed paper coming from his hair and clothes.

"It was you?!" He exclaimed, half in shock, half in awe.

"Well…" James looked guiltily behind him and Sirius saw Peter standing miserably behind him. "We didn't originally intend to set fire to the actual class room, only the waste paper basket but Wormy here got a bit…nervous and let's just say things may have got a little out of hand."

Sirius saw that peter's face was almost black with soot, he twisted his hands together and stared at his feet. "Wow…I'm surprised you both didn't end up killing yourselves, impressive Potter." He turned a smirk onto his best friend and their hands clasped in mid-air.

"Well, I didn't want you to end up wasting the end of such a beautiful day stuck in a dreary old classroom with nothing to look at except McGonagall's stocking clad thighs."

"Ugh! That's disgusting Potter! What on earth goes through your head?!" Sirius exclaimed with a violent shudder.

"It's what you were thinking, don't deny it. Love as pure as yours shouldn't be hidden away." They began moving off down the corridor, Peter trailing behind them, eyes alight with an almost fevered, worshipful glow. "I know that you feel ashamed of your burning desire, especially for a teacher but I'm your best friend, you don't need to hide it from me."

"Yes well, at least I don't want to fuck Filch in his beloved broom cupboards. I hear you whispering his name into your pillow at night, don't deny it." Sirius retorted with a smirk of his own.

"Ah! Caught!" James cried dramatically, leaning heavily on Sirius' shoulder. "And I thought it was a dead secret!"

"You can't hide anything from me, dear Prongs."

They laughed brightly, arms linked as they strode down the marble stair case and out into the sun lit grounds.

**XXX**

"Ow! Ow! Shit!"

"Sirius, keep still!"

"It fucking hurts! Ow! Moony, stop doing that!"

"Bloody wuss." Remus muttered as he inspected the wound on Sirius' arm intently. "I think we'll need to go to Madam Pomfrey, it looks pretty deep."

"That bastard!" Sirius snarled, his eyes sparkling with fury. Blood stained his shirt, his face and his hands and his skin was white beneath it. "I'll get that fucking shit back for this!"

James hovered nervously nearby, his hands twisting themselves together as he fretted over his friend. "Are you alright? That curse was meant for me, you idiot! Why did you jump in front of it?"

"Well, a shield wouldn't have worked against it, would it?" Sirius muttered darkly as he stood with Remus' help. "I've never seen anything like this before, I wonder where he learnt it?" Sirius looked down at the deep gouges embedded in his flesh. "Looks like I had a run in with a very angry, very large cat."

"I'm pretty sure that that spell isn't one we're going to find on the school curriculum." Remus said softly, a small frown marring his forehead as he helped Sirius limp out of their common room. "Do you remember what he said? The exact words he used?"

"What, other than 'I'll get you for that, Potter!'?" James replied with a heavy sigh and another, worried glance at Sirius.

"No, I mean the spell. What was the spell! It might help Pomfrey heal him." Remus said, stumbling a little under Sirius' weight. "Can't you help me a little Sirius-?" Remus paused, he looked at his friends white face and saw with mounting dread that he had passed out. "Sirius! Sirius, can you hear me?" He gently let Sirius fall to the floor, putting both hands on the side of his head.

"Sirius!" James fell to his knees beside his best friend and automatically checked his pulse. "Sirius! Wake up! Come on, man! Don't do this…"

"Stay here, I'm going to get a teacher." Remus leapt up and ran for the door, he pulled it open with a bang and ran through it.

James returned his attention to his best friend and smoothed hair back from his forehead, it was damp from sweat and he was shivering as if cold. The blood leaving his wounds was slowly staining the carpet, almost invisible against the crimson fabric. "Siri…Padfoot…Remus is going to get you some help, just…just hold on for me. We'll get you patched up, I promise."

Sirius groaned, James almost leapt out of his seat beside the Hospital bed and grabbed his hand tightly. "Sirius?" He asked in a voice roughened by exhaustion.

"Jamie?" Sirius opened an eye and smiled weakly. "Wha' happened?"

"Snivelly hit you with some kind of curse, you lost a lot of blood but Madam Pomfrey managed to patch you up." James grinned, relief obvious in his face. "You were never in any serious danger, don't worry."

"'m glad." Sirius let his eyes fall closed again, his fingers tightening on James' until it was almost painful. "Glad it wasn't you." His head fell to the side and breathing slowly evened out, before he was pitched over the precipice of sleep he smiled. "…I'd die for you Jamie…"

James sighed heavily, releasing Sirius' hand and letting it fall back to the bed. He stood up and took one last look at him before walking away, back to the common room.

XXX

Lily looked across the grounds, her eyes shielded by one hand. The sunlight was hot on the exposed skin on the back of her neck but she barely noticed as her eyes landed upon a large black shadow slinking through the trees on the edge of the forbidden forest, she felt hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and frowned. Unable to help herself she began to move forward, carefully closing the distance to get a better look. Slowly her feet took her closer and closer until she could finally distinguish the large, hulking shadow from the rest of the ones cast by the trees. What she saw surprised her, she found herself looking intently at a large black dog. She smiled and felt silly for feeling the little flutter of fear she had felt when she had first beheld it. It was a rather large dog with silvery-grey eyes that seemed, to her, to contain almost human intelligence. "Hello there, are you lost?" She asked, crouching down and smiling as she held out her hand. She thought that maybe it belonged to someone in Hogsmeade and had somehow escaped. "Come here, let's see if you have a collar."

The dog watched her warily for a moment before slowly moving closer, its head down as it scented the air. Suddenly it paused and looked back over its shoulder, one ear twitching before it returned its attention to Lily. It's tongue lolled from between its teeth and it bounded forward a few paces before flopping down on it's side and exposing its belly, ready to be scratched. Its tail thumped happily on the grass, making a hollow sound as it panted and huffed excitedly. Lily chuckled and began rubbing the dogs belly. "Oh, aren't you a big softy!" She cooed, moving into a sitting position and using her other hand to rub at the dogs ears. "You're just a big goofy softy, aren't you boy? Yes, yes you are!" The dog's tail wagged harder in response to her baby voice, it's tongue came out and lapped excitedly at her fingers, making her giggle harder. "You're so big and scary looking then it turns out you're just an ickle puppy! I wonder who owns you…" She trailed off, gazing thoughtfully at the dogs throat, there was no collar there and she began to wonder if it wasn't in fact wild and had somehow been affected by the magic surrounding the school.

Suddenly a shout made her jump a little, the dog whined and sat up, it's tail still thudding against the ground. "Padfoot! Pads get back here, you know you're not allowed to-ah!" James came to a sudden halt, his eyes widening at the sight of Lily tugging gently at Sirius' ears. His eyes narrowed a little in suspicion as he looked at Sirius. Was it possible for a dog to look insufferably smug? James didn't know so he sighed in irritation. "Padfoot, don't go running off when I call you! Bad Dog!" He said sternly and watched with mounting horror as Sirius whined and cowered, his belly low to the ground and his tail tucked firmly between his legs.

"Oh! How can you be so mean?" Lily exclaimed hotly, her green eyes narrowed in anger as she drew Padfoot to her protectively. James watched with mounting frustration as Sirius buried his face between her breasts. "He's only coming to greet me, there's no need to tell him off." Padfoot's tail wagged enthusiastically and he lifted his head, running his tongue up the side of her face. Lily's laughter made heat suffuse James' cheeks as she tried to fend Sirius off. "Down boy! Down!" She laughed.

"Padfoot, stop it!" James scolded and once again Sirius whined and sent him what could only be described as a sad, puppy-dog pout. "You bastard." James growled. "I'll get you back for this." He said under his breath so that Lily couldn't hear, but he saw one of Sirius' ears twitch and he knew he had heard the threat. Sirius' lips peeled back from his huge teeth in a doggy grin as Lily wrapped both arms around his neck.

"Is he yours?" She asked in delight. "I just love dogs, they're so adorable!"

"I suppose so." James replied a little lamely, he could almost sense Sirius internally rolling his eyes and winced. Luckily Lily missed it as she was once again cooing over Padfoot who was once again pressed close to certain parts of her anatomy that James had dreamt of getting close to every night. He suddenly wished that he could turn into a dog, dogs got away with murder. He didn't think she'd take too kindly to a stag doing the same things to her, and that was only if his antlers didn't take out one of her eyes.

"Oh, who's a gorgeous boy then? Who's a gorgeous boy?"

"I wouldn't say stuff like that if I were you." James said with a small smile. "It'll go to his head and he'll be insufferable for the rest of the day."

Lily frowned at the strange comment but didn't say anything, people were odd when it came to their pets, giving them human-esque qualities and insisting that they were like children. She had never taken James Potter to be one of those kinds of people but she supposed everyone had hidden weirdness. She dragged her fingers through Padfoot's fur and giggled when she found his tickly spot, she scratched it mercilessly and watched his leg twitch madly. "So, is he yours?" She asked again, looking up at James once again, she was surprised when the sunlight hit his face and she felt a small jolt that originated somewhere in the region of her stomach. He stood there, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans, his hand knitted jumper sporting a series of brooms racing each other around his chest. His glasses sat slightly askew on his face and even as she watched he raised one long-fingered hand and adjusted them. _He has lovely hands. _She thought and frowned a little, what an odd thing to pass through her mind.

"I suppose you could say he's mine." James replied, smiling a little. His thin face was turning gold as the sun wended its slow way below the horizon, letting the country know that day was ending. "But then again he's not really anyone's."

"A stray? How fascinating. Do you reckon he belonged to someone in Hogsmeade? He could have run away."

"No. I'm pretty sure he didn't."

"Then how do you know his name?"

"It's one I gave to him, a while ago now…" James slowly realised that he was actually having a normal conversation with Lily Evans. He was actually talking to the girl of his dreams and she wasn't shouting and pointing her wand at him! The realisation staggered him and he almost stuttered but somehow managed to avoid embarrassing himself. "It's Padfoot because of the little pads on his paws."

"I guessed, it's really cute. I never knew you were capable of cute, Potter." Lily smiled and James hoped he hadn't imagined the small hint of respect in her tone.

James' smile was stupidly gormless, but he was blissfully unaware of it as he sat down opposite Lily and patted the ground before him, whistling. "Come here boy!" He called and inwardly smirked as Sirius gave the coldest look he could muster in Dog form, he could almost hear him speaking; _I'll kill you for this, Potter. I won't tell you when or how, I will smite you with the hammer of retribution when you least expect it, be warned. Arsehole._

Padfoot yawned, huffed and turned away from James. Rather than going to his friends side he began circling on the spot beside Lily a few times before plonking himself down and resting his huge head on his paws. His eyes were the only thing that moved as he watched the conversation flow between Lily and James, it began with simple, innocent questions like; where do you live? How did you like the homework Professor Flitwick set last week? Before becoming much deeper. The sun set, turning the sky golden red, the three figures barely even noticed.

XXX

"_Expecto Patronum_!" Fine, silvery mist obscured Sirius' face momentarily before receding. He huffed in frustration. "I can't bloody do it!" He cried and sat down with a thump onto an empty chair. "This is ridiculous!"

"Calm down, Sirius." Remus said from where he leaned against the teachers desk. "You'll get there eventually, you just need to try and think of something truly happy."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "What do you think I've been trying to do all this time?"

Remus shook his head. "Obviously the thought isn't happy enough." He pushed himself away from the desk and moved towards the window, he rested his hand on the sill and gazed out over the dark grounds. "It's got to be a memory that infuses you with intense joy, something that makes your heart swell with emotion. Is there a memory that conjures those feelings?" He turned and found Sirius stood at his side.

"Well…I suppose so." Sirius said softly, turning his wand around and around in his fingers. "But I don't know if it'll work."

"Well, we can only try, can't we?" Remus smiled and Sirius returned it. "Come on, once more then we'll go back to the common room."

"Did James have these problems?" Sirius asked as the pair stood facing each other across the class room.

Remus considered. "Not really." He said carefully. "But then, unlike you and I, he has uncountable memories to choose from."

Sirius smiled softly. "Yeah, he's a lucky bastard alright." He raised his wand once more. "Let's do this." He said and frowned in concentration, the memory he chose was of the very first time he had met James Potter. The Hogwarts Express, the small compartment where they had got to talking and come to the realisation that here was a soul-mate. A brother. A friend. Here was someone who could share everything, a person to tell their fears to, a person to disclose secrets to in the utter certainty that they would never divulge them to others. Here was someone who he had been destined to meet. "_Expecto Patronum_!" He said but this time, instead of vague, silvery mist, a huge, hulking dog sprung forth from the tip of his wand to bound gaily through the air before disappearing once again. Sirius gave a whoop of delight, punching the air and laughing happily. "I did it!"

"You did." Remus replied with a soft, affectionate smile. "Well done, Sirius."

Sirius frowned a little as he looked at his friend. "What's your patronus? You said you can produce one but I've never seen it."

Remus looked away, his eyes automatically turning to the sky outside, even though the moon was waning he felt that familiar shiver of fear. "It doesn't matter." He said and smiled wearily. "Let's go back and tell James."

Sirius realised that Remus didn't want to talk about it and he could easily guess what form his Patronus took but he said nothing more of it, merely smiling and nodding as he gathered up his stuff.

XXX

Sirius threw his arms around James, pulling himself closer as he buried his face in his shirt, his fingers tangled tightly in the material and he heard a soft tearing noise but still refused to let go. "This is hard." He mumbled, hearing his own voice slurring with the affects of the alcohol he had so recently ingested. He felt James respond to his embrace hesitantly, his arms not as sure as they once were. "I…I'm sorry I just-"

"It's ok." James replied, slowly disengaging the hug and averting his eyes for a moment. "I just didn't realise that you were-" He broke off, frowning a little as he gazed anywhere but at Sirius. "But…why now? Of all the times you could have said something…why now?"

"I don't know." Sirius shrugged, slumping listlessly against the wall. "It just came out before I could stop it. You know me, the King of bad timing!"

"I'm marrying her tomorrow, you realise this, don't you?"

Sirius looked away. "Yeah. I do." He fiddled absently with his jacket sleeve, the leather creaking in a wonderful, familiar way. "'M sorry."

"You've said that." James frowned again, running his fingers through his messy hair as he tried desperately to think of a way to explain how he was feeling…and failing miserably. "Sirius, you're my best friend."

"Yes, so you keep reminding me." Sirius was unable to keep the bitter note from his voice. "Sorry."

"Don't be." James sighed and closed his eyes tightly. "You know, we could have-"

"Shoulda-woulda-coulda, right?" Sirius smiled sadly, he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked up at the night sky. "We're not kids anymore so I suppose we have to start acting like it. You marry her James Potter. You marry her tomorrow, just like you're supposed to and I'll stand by your side and hand you those rings. I'll smile. I'll give you a speech you'll never forget. I don't want anything in return, I never have done. I'll keep doing my best to be your best friend, to help you when you fall down, to keep you going when times get rough…but I'll never, ever stop-"

"Don't say it again." James muttered, his voice a broken whisper.

Sirius smiled softly, he gazed at James through his fringe. "Ok. Why not? It's not like it even matters anymore, right? You're moving on and it's not your fault if I'm stuck in the past. You know me, Jamie, I can't let go so easily."

"Will you…will you be alright?" James asked, his face a picture of concern. He lifted a hand as if he was going to touch Sirius' shoulder but withdrew it abruptly.

"I will be. I've got Moony to look after me. He'll be there for me when I stumble, when I want to do nothing more than find you…he'll stop me from destroying you. Don't worry."

"That's not what I meant!"

Sirius didn't reply, only smiled that same, bitter-sweet smile with his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his absurdly tight jeans. "James?"

"Yes?"

"You're the best thing to ever happen to me, you know that right?"

James' smile eased and became a little more natural. "I know."

Sirius sighed and pushed himself away from the wall, he took one last look up at the star-strewn sky before returning his gaze back to earth, back to the well loved face of his best friend. "Come on, I think Moony might be having a fit, we left him in there with Peter who's so drunk I think he might actually have killed himself."

James snorted in amusement. "If he hasn't his mother will be sure to do it for him when he comes stumbling home later."

"Yeah, she still thinks he's twelve." Sirius laughed brightly, lifting an arm and putting it around James' shoulders. He drew him to his side gently and they began making their way back to the pub they had just vacated. Before they reached the door way James paused, forcing Sirius to turn and look at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Sirius…I just…I want you to know that I could have, you know."

Sirius' smile widened, his eyes sparkled in an odd way that made James feel suddenly uncomfortable. He felt himself pulled into another rough embrace, hot breath caressed his ear and he shivered. "You have no mercy, do you you bastard?" Sirius replied, his voice breaking a little. After a second he pulled away, turning so he didn't have to meet James' eyes. "Come on, let's go save Moony."


End file.
